Actor richard wagner biography book

This biography of Richard Wagner was written by Simon Callow, an English actor, director and writer, who produced a one man show on Wagner in 2012.

Presents an in-depth profile of the controversial German composer Richard Wagner, with a particular focus on his personal life.

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Richard Wagner: A Life in Music is a landmark study of one of music's most important figures, offering something new to opera enthusiasts, Wagnerians, and anti-.

He studied music at the University of Edinburgh from 1967 to 1971.

This book grew out of the research Simon Callow did for a play, Inside Wagner's Head, which he wrote for the composer's bicentenary in 2012.

Prior to this Callow acted as Mozart in 'Amadeus', the poet Verlaine in 'Total Eclipse' and 'Faust' from the Goethe drama on the London stage. He has appeared in many other quality theater and film roles. Wagner, a composer infamous for endless operas, horned helmets and antisemitic treatises, was focused on the dramatic elements of music.

In spite of his artistic vision he was an intolerable person. Always needing to be the center of attention, he betrayed those who helped him, preyed on his friend's wives, and dodged financial debts owed to his unfortunate admirers.

But who was Richard Wagner?

Wagner was born in 1813 to a poor family of stage actors in Leipzig, Germany. He gave up theater for music and to his family's dismay decided to compose. Musicians and actors could ma